Leaders learn to lead in ways other than from their challenges at work or from observing their bosses, the ways discussed in the two previous newsletters. They also learn from their mistakes.

No one is perfect. Leaders, like everyone else, make mistakes. When they do, they learn from them.

I’ll discuss two kinds of mistakes that leaders make. The first kind includes the inevitable mistakes that come with making decisions in the regular course of work.

These poor decisions can result from a lack of information, or unclear and ambiguous information when making the decision, or from misinterpreting or misjudging the situation.

“When we made the decision, I thought there would be no major threats from competitors. I was wrong.”

“We tried to get better market data, but there wasn’t much available at the time. So, we went with what we had. It wasn’t enough, and it came back to haunt us later.”

“We never did get a clear answer. And since we couldn’t wait, we did the best we could at the time. Later, we figured it out, but by then we’d already made the investment. We just had to write it off.”

In cases like this, good leaders don’t dwell on their mistakes or anguish over them. Instead, they learn from them and move on, quickly. Learning from past mistakes helps good leaders to make better decisions in the future.

The second kind of mistake is different. These mistakes pertain to personal attributes that have contributed to major, career changing decisions by the leaders. A few examples.

“I had been on a fast track early in my career when I decided to strike out on my own, fully believing that I knew what I was doing. The business failed within two years. I had bitten off a lot more than I could chew. My arrogance got the better of me – I thought I was infallible. Eventually, I realized that thinking you can do something is a lot different from having the knowledge and experience needed to make sound decisions. Now, I’m much more thorough and realistic when I make decisions. I don’t gloss over the risks.”

“I had never realized that the way I dealt with people was a problem. I just thought that you had to be hard-driving and assertive. But then one day the CEO called me in and said, ‘Look, I know you want to get ahead, and you’ve done a lot to make the business better, but you’re not going to have a future here if you continue to treat people the way you do. You can’t just berate, and intimidate, and drive people the way you do. Your financial numbers are good, but your attrition rate is the highest in the company and the other VPs complain continuously about your inability to work with them. You have a choice. Either change or leave.’ I was really shocked. It had never occurred to me that there was any problem. It was a real wake-up call. It wasn’t easy and it took a while to change, but it’s made a huge difference. The people who come to work for me now can’t believe the stories about how I used to be. I thank the former CEO every time I see him.”

“I used to be a workaholic. To work weekends and miss holidays with my family was standard procedure. Then, when my daughter was about twelve, she said to me, ‘Daddy, where do you live when you’re not here?’ I was gone so much she thought I must have another home. I was stunned. I had no idea of the effect I was having on my family. I vowed to change. It’s hard, but now I make time to spend with my family. It’s changed things at work, too. I’ve had to rely more on others. My direct reports have grown and have taken on more of the burden. There’s a much better balance in my life now. My daughter knows where I live.”

The changes described above were made by leaders who recognized that the personal attributes that contributed to their success were a double-edged sword. Their mistake was being oblivious to or ignoring the negative effects of those attributes.

These leaders overcame their blind spots. Not all leaders with similar stories do. Some leaders still operate under the misperception that they can do whatever they like without concern for how it affects others.

Mistakes, whether large or small, provide lessons for leaders that enable them to improve continuously. How about you? Have you learned from, instead of repeating, your mistakes?

A global company that I am working with has offices on four continents and is regularly confronted with the differences between the tendencies and preferences of the staff from one location to the other. Despite similarities in education, training, job requirements, facilities, and technological support, differences in culture are unavoidable.

Last month, we talked about how to encourage more people to speak out and ask questions when their culture places a heavy emphasis on obedience and respect. Before that, we had discussed how staff members in one location were more likely to work alone instead of working cooperatively in teams. And, we’ve discussed how the importance of socializing among the younger staff members in Europe and South America is far greater than is the case in the USA.

The point is not that there are differences, but that it’s important to recognize and accept those differences. Then, the challenge is to find ways to lead others whose traditions and cultures are different from our own.

This morning I had coffee with a friend and executive who grilled me to get ideas to help him with a new task he had accepted which will require him to organize and direct the efforts of a group of business leaders.

I was struck by the fact that despite his experience and ability, he still approached the task with a great deal of uncertainty. He readily acknowledged that he was unsure as to what to do and how to do it.

It reminded me of the Bertrand Russell quote, “The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts.”

I count my friend as one of the wise leaders whose uncertainty I value – it makes him willing to learn.

email: archie@archietinelli.com archie@archietinelli.com